mangiare24's Profile

He's originally from San Leandro, so he keeps up with what is going on in the Bay area. Plus, he saw the article about Borgo Italia on Eater recently. Hence, the radar. Of course we will check back in November to see what people are saying; I was just wondering in anyone had been yet. There were a couple of favorable reviews on Yelp. Thanks.

Here's the dilemma: in this situation, the couple only ordered half of what 2 people would order but took up the server's 2-top upon which he banked on getting xx amount of $$ in tips which in turn is based on the average bill of two people not sharing a whole meal. (I'm sure there is a better way to say this but I am too tired to think about it and reword).

"That being said, when the flight meals were passed around, there was no noticeable smell (and I never remember smelling an airplane meal). Not that in-flight (coach) meals have ever been known to be amazing - but this made me wonder if something is specifically done to food served on airplanes to make it as odorless as possible?"

I can smell airline food while it is being heated and when it is served rows ahead of me. It has that generic cafeteria mixed/overcooked/bad food smell. Maybe you don't realize it because it is not one specific smell like steak or pizza...or cashews for that matter.

Bad service and food "just OK" and you've been there 5 times? Do you keep going back just because you live close by?

I wonder if the bad service has to do with the fact they are connected to a hotel and feel that since they are dealing with a lot of tourists from all over the world, that their good service may not be compensated for with a good tip. That's kind of the vibe I got.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Ruth Reichl's Tender at the Bone: funny, touching and informative. I've not read the others yet (Comfort Me With Apples and Garlic & Sapphires). Ruth Reichl was a noted New York Times food critic for a number of years, but her first book, Tender at the Bone, recounts her years growing up and her relationship with food, and recounts some very funny and horrifying stories about her mother, possibly one of the worst cooks ever.

We finally made it to Locanda Verde for lunch (well, they call it brunch). While we do not love egg-and-pancake type brunches, my partner and I had enough to choose from on the menu to make it more like lunch (our main meal on Sundays). To start, we shared the arugula, fig and American speck salad and the tartara Piemontese. The salad was very good and the tartara was outstanding. For entrees, we shared the Amatriciana and the shaved porchetta sandwich. While both were outstanding, we felt the Amatriciana was just a little bit better, The spaghetti was cooked perfectly al dente and the sauce was the best Amatriciana we've ever tasted in the States. For dessert we shared a peach crostada that was served with a wonderful basil syrup that really made the dish. Delicious. The only negative part of the meal was the service. Our waitress was adequate, but not very attentive. We never had to wait for anything, but a food runner could have done just as good a job. She really had no personality or finesse; two qualities a good server in such a restaurant should have. We both agreed eating at the bar mext time would be a better idea as I observed the two bartenders serving their guests with a lot more "relish" than most of the waiters and waitreesses I observed around us.

"Thought about Perla or Maialino. Some of us don't have seafood and some don't have pork. "

Just a heads up: In Italian, the word maialino means suckling pig and suckling pig is the signature dish at the restaurant Maialino. It is also featured in one of their pastas. Don't get me wrong: I love the place, but I eat anything and everything.

If you sit at the bar at some of the better restaurants, it is totally permissable to have a couple of drinks and one or two appetzers. That should work within your budget easily. Gramercy Tavern, Union Square Cafe, Babbo and Manzo are just 4 that immediately come to mind.

If you read the the first post, none of these are mentioned as being available when the op was growing up. I certainly dont think they are exotic; but compared to what was available to the op, they are.

I'm so glad I grew up in Jersey City, NJ, just across the Hudson River from NYC. We had real bagels (never had a Lender's bagel until we moved to the 'burbs and shopped at mega supermarkets) and many different shapes of macaroni (as we called it) including ziti, penne, rigatoni, acini pepe, tubetinni, etc. in the 1960s and 1970s.

Funny, the two times I've been there the pastries I had seemed kind of stale. Seems like such a small space; is there even a kitchen attached to it? Looks to me like the baked goods are brought in from a kitchen located somewhere else. Different strokes...

I've had the risotto both times I was there because my friends and I always share our dishes when we dine out. That's why I stick with the pasta dishes.

Making a pasta dish only requires a quick boil of the pasta and either a quick pan sauce or a precooked ragu or similar sauce that is held in a heated container. Any good restaurant can do multiple pastas with no problem. Making risotto is at least a 20-minute process from beginning to end. To quicken the process, a lot of restaurants precook the rice and spread it out on baking sheets. When an order of risotto is called into the kitchen, they take that precooked rice and continue the process. Most restaurants that do this fail at making a quality finished dish; the rice gets overcooked and the dish becomes mushy, which has been my experience at Risotto House. Not at all what a risotto should be. Of course, this is just my opinion. The fact that the place is always crowded says something else.

"and they have 8 types of Risotto-- looks like it's worth a try!"A very good restaurant excels at making one or maybe two types of risotto in a given evening. A mediocre to bad restaurant makes 8...and not very well.

Risotto House can get very crowded and loud. I don't remember if they take reservations, but if they do then you should make one if you want to go. I've been there twice and it is OK, but I have always had pasta. Nothing great in my opinion.

Zio on 19th fits the bill. My partner held a business meeting there a month or so ago and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. We've also eaten there a few times and always find the food and service to be very good.